Beverage bottle clothing clip

ABSTRACT

A beverage bottle clothing clip for attaching a plastic bottle container to a person&#39;s belt, pants pocket or waistband; being particularly purposed for cost effective mass production and disposable use. Two apertures; one primary and gripping aperture, and one secondary aperture, and a connecting slit are located at one end of an elongate, flexible, planar plastic substrate; with a locking bend formed perpendicularly to and within the immediate area of said slit and secondary aperture. Said primary gripping aperture of said bent flexible substrate is controllably sizeable for easy application to, and removal from the underside of a bottleneck cap stop rim. As the user straightens the bent clip by hand, the directionally planar axis of said gripping aperture begins to merge with that of said slit and secondary aperture, wherein both apertures and connecting slit combine to form an aperture larger than said primary aperture. As user releases the straightening hold, said primary aperture returns to its own and original perimeter size, as the residual memory of substrate returns said substrate to the state of its previously bent form. Said substrate&#39;s elongate opposite end from the aperture area is tucked into a pocket or opening in clothing, wherein said bottle&#39;s fluid weight pulls downward, and tighteningly retains said locking bend, and also said primary aperture&#39;s grip on bottleneck, even more securely.

[0001] BEVERAGE BOTTLE CLOTHING CLIP in reference to provisional applications; No. 60/496,243 filing date Aug. 19, 2003; No. 60/476,927 Jun. 9, 2003; and No. 60/474,251 May 28, 2003

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0002] 5,695,232 January 1997 Tipp . . . 294/87.2 5,960,973 October 1999 Markson . . . 215/386 6,019,335 February 2000 Schati . . . 248/312 6,131,779 August 1997 Gendala . . . 224/148.1 6,279,794 B1 August 2001 Miyazaki . . . 224/148.7 6,352,235 B2 March 2002 Cizek . . . 248/692 6,394,329 B1 May 2002 Magee . . . 224/678 6,394,517 May 2002 Borg . . . 294/31.2 6,533,148 B1 March 2003 Dahl . . . 224/148.6 6,626,333 B2 September 2003 Levesque et al. . . . 224/148.6 6,695,371 B1 February 2004 Simkins . . . 294/33 09/731/293 June 2000 Fadal . . . 224/148.7 2002/0046984 A1 April 2002 Cheatwood . . . 215/399

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

[0003] Not applicable.

REFERENCE TO SEQUENCE LISTING

[0004] Not applicable.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0005] 1. Field of the Invention

[0006] The present invention relates generally, to beverage bottle holders and bottle carrying devices and clips.

[0007] 2. Description of Prior Art

[0008] Previous methods used to attach a bottle of water or soft drink on a human's clothing, would require a pants belt or strap that would thread through a separate holding container. Each version of a beverage bottle holding or clip device includes specialized parts; some with moving parts, detachable parts, metal ferrules, nylon or rope strings, hinged parts, or mold injected polymer parts; all of which require expensive tooling and setup costs.

[0009] All of these most recent versions have expensive startup costs for the die-molds, with expensive follow up costs of production and assembly; and require specialized and very expensive and high tech machinery to produce. In today's global market, production cost and end pricing is crucial for making the final sale; and whereas none of said previous versions are cost effective for mass sales of disposable clips.

SUMMARY

[0010] It is the object of this invention of a BEVERAGE BOTTLE CLOTHING CLIP to; easily clip onto a standard plastic bottle neck by means of a controllably sizeable bottleneck gripping aperture;

[0011] remain securely attached to said bottle;

[0012] easily attach to and hang from various openings of a person's clothing;

[0013] have indicia space for low cost computer label printing and adhering;

[0014] be optionally fabricated by the user;

[0015] and be mass produceable without the need for expensive high-tech machinery;

[0016] Whereas said clip is purposed to be disposable, it still remains removable for re-use on multiple types of beverage containers with the same standardized type and diameter size of bottleneck.

[0017] It is also an advantage of this invention over previous patents, to be fabricated from a low cost material substrate;

[0018] whereas this bottle clip may be die-cut stamped from polyethelene, styrenol, polybutylethylene, or similar planar polymer substrates; requiring only one heat bend, yet with some types of substrates, said necessary bend is easily made with human hands in temperatures above 65 degrees. This ability for some substrates to be bent by hand reduces fabrication to one single step of die-cut stamping, and permits easier handling, storage, and shipping.

[0019] The ability for this invention of a bottle clip to be die-cut is key to it's superiority over previous bottle attachment devices. The expensive and high tech machinery is not required; as a user may obtain a low cost steel rule die; either one up, or by the dozen; with cutting done in house or contracted out. Cost effective alternatives in fabrication are possible with this version over previous designs. Hand die-cut machines for cutting out “one-up” of small shapes have recently entered the marketplace, now allowing users to fabricate their own items.

[0020] And whereby it is the object of this invention to make available a low cost and disposable beverage bottle clothing clip, using die-cut fabrication, by means of a controllably sizeable bottleneck gripping aperture, and secured by a single aperture locking bend.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Numerals in Drawings

[0021] 10 primary and gripping aperture 12 secondary aperture 14 aperture connecting slit 16 enlarged and combined aperture 18 aperture locking bend 20 pocket insert tab 22 main body of clip substrate 24 diameter of bottleneck cap stop rim 26 beverage bottle 28 bottleneck cap stop rim 30 functional locations of locking bend 32 restricting and aperture locking position

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0022]FIG. 1; an overhead view showing primary gripping aperture in smallest and original state before locking bend is formed.

[0023]FIG. 2; an overhead view as if substrate were being applied onto and over a bottleneck; showing primary gripping aperture merging with secondary aperture to form a newly combined and enlarged aperture.

[0024]FIG. 3; an overhead view after locking bend is formed, and as if substrate has already been positioned under bottleneck cap stop rim, showing isolated primary aperture in it's original perimeter size and state, and isolated slit and secondary aperture in their original states after said locking bend is formed.

[0025]FIG. 4; an angular side view showing said gripping aperture in it's original state and perimeter size, just before being positioned onto and over bottle neck.

[0026]FIG. 5; an angular side view showing said combined and larger aperture, while being pushed onto and over said bottle neck.

[0027]FIG. 6; an angular side view showing said gripping aperture, again isolated and reduced to it's original state and perimeter size, after it has been positioned underneath said bottleneck cap stop rim, with bottle partially removed for clarity.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0028] Fabrication of the two apertures FIG. 1;10,12 and completely cut through slit FIG. 1;14 at one elongate end of the flexible planar polymer substrate FIG. 1;22 is best accomplished by first sizing the diameter FIG. 1;24 of the bottleneck cap stop rim gripping aperture FIG. 1;10 to just slightly and dimensionally more than said diameter dimension FIG. 1;24 located immediately beneath said rim FIG. 2;28 of bottleneck, so as to not place any extra and unneeded stresses on said substrate. The size of the secondary aperture FIG. 1;12 and the length of said slit are interdependent upon said diameter size of bottleneck, and chosen size wanted for the combined and larger aperture FIG. 2;16, all keeping within any limits of retaining the functionality of the next step; the aperture locking bend FIG. 3;18, and FIG. 4:18. Said bend is approximately 45 to 90 degrees, and is formed across said planar substrate from edge to edge, and perpendicular to the direction of said slit, and either crossing said slit, or crossing said secondary aperture FIG. 5;30. Some polymer substrates will allow forming of said bend by hand in temperatures of 65 degrees and up; whereas user may carry said clip flatly in a pocket, then hand-bend just before using. The choice of shape and size of said secondary aperture FIG. 1;12 will help control the ease of bending, as said substrate will bend at the point of least resistance, yet keeping within limits of functionality, and noting that it is best for all interior perimeter aperture shapes to have one or a plurality of circular perimeter edges to prevent tearing of said substrate to it's outer and perimeter edge of said main body.

[0029] Operation of said bottle clip is the hand straightening FIG. 5 of said locking bend, as user pushes said clip downward and onto a beverage bottleneck, until past said cap stop rim FIG. 4;28, then releasing hold on clip, where residual memory of said clip substrate returns to or near its bent position. After positioning the opposite elongate end FIG. 5;20 into pocket of clothing, the fluid contents of said bottle will pull downward and tighten up said locking bend to an approximate 90 degrees which retains said gripping aperture from merging with said secondary aperture, and so retains said gripping aperture to it's original perimeter size.

[0030]FIG. 1; is an overhead view showing primary gripping aperture in smallest and original state before locking bend is formed. Notice dotted lines of said diameter of bottleneck FIG. 1;24 as compared to FIG. 2;24, wherein said gripping aperture has merged perimeters with secondary aperture and has enlarged to fit over said rim.

[0031]FIG. 2; is an overhead view as if substrate were being applied onto and over a bottleneck, showing the newly combined and enlarged aperture FIG. 2;16, and the general area where said locking bend is to be formed FIG. 2;30.

[0032]FIG. 3; is an overhead view after locking bend FIG. 3;18 is formed, and as if substrate has already been positioned over said bottleneck, and downwardly past said cap stop rim, showing the isolated primary aperture in it's original perimeter size and state, and isolated slit and secondary aperture in their original states after said locking bend is formed.

[0033]FIG. 4; is angular side view showing said gripping aperture in it's original state and perimeter size, just before being positioned onto and over bottle neck, whereas

[0034]FIG. 5; shows said aperture perimeters merging to form said combined and larger aperture FIG. 5;16, just as said clip is being pushed downward and over said bottleneck cap. The palm of a users hand makes this action fast and easy.

[0035]FIG. 6; is an angular side view showing said gripping aperture, again isolated and reduced to it's original state and perimeter size, after it has been positioned underneath said bottleneck cap stop rim, and after said retained memory has returned said substrate to its bent position. Description numerals referring to any aperture in FIG. 6 have changed from ones shown in FIG. 5, whereas three FIG. 5;16 numerals representing a said combined aperture, now represent two apertures and a slit FIG. 6;10,12,14. 

We claim:
 1. A beverage bottle clothing clip is formed from a flexible planar polymer substrate with a bottle cap stop rim gripping aperture located near one elongate end; whereas said gripping aperture is sized accordingly to snugly fit the diameter size of the area immediately and vertically below said bottle cap stop rim; whereas a secondary aperture is located further inwardly from said elongate end of said polymer substrate, and determinedly spaced from said gripping aperture, and determinedly sized accordingly to the diameter of said gripping aperture, and also determinedly sized accordingly to the total dimensional length of a connecting through cut slit between said apertures; whereas a said connecting through cut slit is formed between said apertures, having a said dimensional length accordingly to a chosen, yet functional, total perimeter size of said two apertures, after merging by means of said slit. whereas said gripping aperture is determinedly expandable in size accordingly to the total of the circumferencial perimeter dimensions of said apertures and dimensional length of said slit. whereas an aperture locking bend of approximately 45 to 90 degrees is made in said polymer substrate from planar edge to edge, and perpendicularly crossing the general elongate path of both said apertures and connecting slit; wherein said bend perpendicularly crosses said general path over said slit, or over said secondary aperture, or both; wherein said bend changes the planar axis of said apertures, and so prevents merging of perimeters of said apertures; wherein said bend prevents said gripping aperture from expanding in size to said determinedly expandable size when axial planar surface surrounding said gripping aperture is bent to said 45 to 90 degrees to axial planar surface surrounding said secondary aperture; whereas hand straightening of said flexible substrate and said bend allows for merging of planar axis surrounding said apertures, and so the merging of both said aperture perimeters into a larger and said determinedly expandable size; whereas said flexible substrate of any nominal amount of residual memory, will return to said 45 to 90 degree bent shape, and will also restore the original perimeter size of said gripping aperture; and whereby said gripping aperture of said bent flexible substrate is controllably sizeable for application to and removal from said area immediately below bottleneck cap stop rim; and whereby with the elongate opposite end from aperture area being positioned into and retained by a pocket or opening in clothing, where the bottle's fluid weight pulls downward, and tighteningly retains said locking bend, and therein tighteningly retains said perimeter of primary gripping aperture even more securely.
 2. we claim A BOTTLE CAP CLOTHING CLIP as in claim 1; using a black plastic polymer substrate for hand bending in cold weather climates.
 3. we claim A BOTTLE CAP CLOTHING CLIP as in claim 1; using a white plastic polymer substrate for hand bending in warm weather climates. 